I've used a thick piece of leather with some vice grips or something similar to grip the metal, then twist and pull. You've got to be VERY careful not to get the bare jaws on the metal obviously.
I've sworn off Stratus pens. I've turned over 100 of them, and the failure rate of the click mech was just way too high. Sure there are ways circumvent that issue, but why should you have to? It's just a very poor design to begin with.